Coupling or lock-nut.



J. H. GLAUBER. COUPLING 0R LOOK NUT. APPLICATION rum) APR.9, 1910.

1,092,256. Patented Apr. 7, 1914,

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. H GLAUBER.

COUPLING 0R LOCK NUT. APPLICATION FILED APR.9, 1910,

1,092,256, Patented Apr. 7, 191L 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WT mm:

MENTO JOSEPH 'H-GLAUBER UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

coornme on LOCK-NUT.

1,092,256. Specification of Letters Patent. t t 7, 1914 Application filed April 9, 1910. Serial No. 554,551.

To all whom itmay concern: leak in this kind of a fitting if it were not Be it known that I, Josnrn I-I. GLAUBEB, safeguarded in a suitable manner substancitizen of the United States, residing at tially as shown. It is therefore necessary to Cleveland, in the county of Cuyaho-ga and provide a gasket or sealing medium in some a. State of Ohio, have invented certain new such rclation as flange 6 sustains to the couand useful Improvements in Couplings or pllng member C on one side and the thiinble Lock-Nuts, of which the following is a or sleeve E on the other to make a perfect specification. flu d tight union. The same conditions ob- My invention relates to an improvement t-ain as to the form of nut N in .Figs. 5 to 8 u in couplings or look nuts, and the invention and as to nut N Fig. 9, in which but two consists in a nut which is both expansible loops 3 and corresponding slits are shown, and contractible as well as being otherwise One or more may be used in any form of the adaptable according to the place and cond nut, and obviously this nut is not limited to tions of use, all substantially as shown and tubular connections but may be employed 7.

described and particularly pointed out in with bolts, rods or other solid parts. th l i I In addition to the foregoing the nut N is In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shown as having hexagonal formation cenis a side elevation of a cock and coupling in trally about its body indicated by straight which my improved nut is employed, and flat sides 7 in Figs. 2 and 4 and lying in 7;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1 looking pairs between the three several loops 3. in from the right. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal This disposition of said sides in pairs besectional elevation of a lead flange coutween said loops has the important advanpling and my improved nut. Fig. 4c'is a tage of bringing the said sides or faces 7 diseotional view on line 42"42 Fig. 3. Figs. 5 rectly opposite each other in parallel planes a to 9 are views of modifications of the nut, and with the entire surface exposed to apply one form thereof being shown in'Figs. 5, 6, a wrench. However, the flat sides 7 may be 7 and 8 and st'll another form in Fig. 9, all omitted, and the nut formed as seen in Figs. as hereinafter fully described. Fig. 10 is a 5 to 10, wherein loops 3 project sufficiently sectional view of my improved nut made of beyond the circular portion of the nut to a 0 drawn metal. provide for wrench or plier engagement.

The nut as thus shown in all the several The wall of the loops 3 in a cast nut may views has one Or more features common to beheavier or lighter relative to the thickall and which consists in the slits or slots 2 ness of the wall of the nut than herein and the wings or loops 3 in which said slits shown, and flange 5 may be wider or nar- I.

or slots terminate, and the said wings or rower according to the relation and .con loops themselves are distinguished by being struction of parts With which it is to be used. formed upon the outside of the otherwise Loops 3 connect the split sections and procircular or round or other surface of the nut vide an endless and unbroken outer wall indicated by tin the several views. A furwhich gives substantially all the strength of Q 40 ther commonfeature of all the formsof nut a solid nut, and flange 5 at right angles shown is the flange 5 on what may be conthereto additionally strengthens the nut and sidered as the face side of the nut and prevents buckling of its sections. which practically makes a cap nut construc- Now, having the nut constructed substantion adapted to be used in couplings with tially as hereinbefore set forth, the advan- 1Q lead pipes I, as in Fig. 3, and which have tags and use thereof becomes apparent.

their ends flanged or flared as at 6 .and is particularly of value in cases of emeradapted to form a packing to avoidpossible gency or when sent out promiscuously to be leakage as well as serving to lock'the pipe in attached to a connecting member, the precise place. Or the pipe P might be made of any. dimensions of which and the form or style 1.5 other material than lead and havea collar of thread are unknown. In such case if the corresponding to flange v6, the essential thing threaded portion with which the nut is to in any fitting for fluids being to seal the connect be too large for the nut as it comes joint at this place by the flange 6, or its to the job the nut can be expanded to the reequivalent, to prevent leakage through the quired size, Or if the threaded portion be 1m nut N. This is material because the nut berelatively smaller then the nut can be coming split across its threads would probably pressed or contracted to conform thereto.

This is done by simply compressing the loops or wings 3 together, using a hammer, vise or other suitable tool-', and in the other case the nut is expanded or spread to enlarge the same to the required size.- I have referred to the nut as being expansible and contractible and these capabilities are made manifest in the adaptations just described. The said nut is therefore yielding or elastic as to Working size or might even be referred to as adjustable or convertible to different sizes, and herein lies the'essence of the invention,'the peculiar and original construction of the nut being taken into consideration as compared with other nuts heretofore made and which lay claim to yielding characteristics within limits. 1

Another peculiarity of my nut above described lies in its adaptation to different threads. In the manufacture of union couplings it iscustomary to make the coupling parts with straight running threads, so that a swiveling coupling nut can be screwed up any desired distance to effect coupling connection between its members by compressin or otherwise closing tightly upon a gaske or other intervening seat. The said straight or mechanical thread is employed only for drawing together the two parts of the coupling connection. The ordinary threaded parts with straight threads could not be used for making any coupling connections, which depend upon a tapering thread to form a hydraulic or sealing joint.

J Now, my nut as above described may have straight running threads and be connected with parts having tapered threads as it is capable of expanding sufliciently to screw upon such threads any desired distance the same as when straight threads are used for both parts, thus making it adaptable to the regular standard connections with tapered threads found in the commercial art. The angular sides of V-shaped threads assist in spreading the nut, but a squa-re thread also may be used when less expansion is needed, as in a'union connection made between two hard seats, or where but a very slight yield is provided for the seating engagements, when it often is desirable that the coupling parts be screwed together loosel until a firm impression is made between t e seating parts and with the least resistance upon the threaded mechanical engagement. members have been firmly clamped together and having my improved nut, the wings or loops 3 may be compressed and the nut thus be rigidly bound in the meshes of the threads. This frequently is ver desirable as it prevents the loosening of t e engaged parts due to any vibration, shock or the like.

' This nut also meets the disadvantages that arise from corrosion of threaded engagements, and which have heretofore been avoided by making one part iron and the After the f other brass. But by my construction I can use all iron or any other metal and by merely inserting an instrument inv the openings 3 sufliciently ex and the nut to effect release. This can also be done without injury to the threads on the pipe because the said wings or openings have suflicient depth to permit an instrument to do the work without coming in contact with the threads.

The so-called slits or slots 2 may have the initial characteristics of slots or slotted openings rather than mere slits which are closed, as the first demand upon the nut may be to contract it upon a materially smaller part. Or it may require expansion considerably beyond the original width of the slot as it comes from the factory.

The portions 3 are defined as loops, preferably, but in another sense consist of projections on the outside of the nut across the same from side to side and bored through their base to provide a yielding outer wall and connected by open slots with the interior of the, nut, thus dividing the nut into sections according to the'number of such slots and each section adapted to be carried inward and outward more or less according as the position thereof is controlled through expansion or'contraction of the said yielding projections 3.

In a hexagonal nut, the preferred way is to form the loops at the meeting angle e15 every alternate pair of faces 7 as shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

A nut N constructed of drawn metal is shown in Fig. 10, and the only difference in construction as compared with the other forms of nut shown, is the-walls thereof which are of thesame thickness throughout, including the loops. The advantage of a drawn metal nut constructed according to my invention and as compared with a cast nut is as follows, first, the threads will stand a greater strain and be less liable to strip, secondly, the sections and loops possess greater spring properties, thirdly, the nut as a whole is practically-unbreakable within" greater limits, and fourthly, less operations are required to produce a finishednut and a corresponding reduction in cost is thereby eflected. i

Ordinarily it is difiicult to make a drawn screw nut and provide a good wrench surace thereon, but in my construction the wings or loops provide prominent and easily engaged gripping portions which may be conveniently and readily formed in drawn metal, and this I believe to be new and of great utility in the art.

What I c aim is:

1. A coupling nut havingintegral enlarge-. ments at intervals abo'ut'its outside with openings through the same from side to side 0 the nut and slots from said 0 enings into the nut, and provided with dasurfaces parallel to each other oppositely between said enlargements and adapted to engage a Wrench therewith.

2. A nut having an inwardly-extending annular flange at one side provided with radial slots and outward projections radially in line with said slots at intervals from side to side provided with circular holes, the Walls about said holes being of uniform depth and adapted to be expanded or contraoted and thereby change the working size of the nut.

3. A nut of angular formation having spring loops formed integral therewith at the meeting angle of every alternate pair of its wrench-engaging faces.

JOSEPH H. GLAUBER.

, Witnesses:

E. M. FISHER, F. O. MUSSUN. 

